Dragon Emperor 15: From Human to Dragon to God Read online

  “No.” Rosie shook her head. “She would have told at least one of us if she was back in town. I think she went home.”

  “And where is home?” I asked. “Lord Calvin said somewhere by the border.”

  “No, it’s not the border,” she said with an eye roll. “Isabella said she was never too far from family if she needed them, but it was never a good time to invite them, according to her.”

  “Then I suppose we’ll have to invite ourselves,” I decided. “Do you know where exactly the village is?”

  “It’s near the southern ocean,” Rosie explained. “Right past the buffalo farms. You’ll find what you need, or they’ll at least point you in the right direction.”

  “Another portal?” I grumbled as I stared at Nike.

  “Uh, yes, my lord,” he said as he tapped his foot on the hard floor.

  “Are you going to make it this long away from the child?” I chuckled before I stood from the table.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Nike said as he rolled his eyes.

  “Good, I need you in my corner,” I advised. “So, no funny business. We find Isabella, and then we get out. Let’s tell the women what we’re doing.”

  “Let’s do it,” he agreed as we started to head for the door.

  “Thank you for your help,” I said to Rosie before I tossed a handful of gold coins from my spatial storage onto the table in front of her.

  “Wow, thanks,” she breathed and then pocketed the coins. “This will help pay the bills.”

  “Good,” I said as I offered her a slight bow. “We may see you again.”

  “Good luck finding Isabella!” Rosie called out as we stepped outside.

  I sighed and motioned for Nike to lead us back to the castle. This was one of the times I wished my dragon body was a little smaller. Then I could fly just about everywhere we went, but for now, I planned to take a walk through Leyte with my best friend.

  We made our way back to the castle and strolled inside to find Lord Calvin on the sofa with two other women sitting on the floor in front of him.

  “Did Rosie know anything?” he wondered.

  “Yeah, we have a solid lead on where Isabella might be,” I confirmed. “We’re going there now. Where’s Vala?”

  “She’s with your women,” Calvin replied. “Something about picking baby names or some other nonsense.”

  “You might want to be more concerned with the choosing of your child’s name,” I reminded him. “It’s what you’ll be calling him for the rest of his life.”

  “She doesn’t want my help,” he grumbled. “Besides, she already rejected Calvin the Second.”

  “Perhaps because the current Calvin is a bit of an ass?” I offered.

  “I’ve been following your rules, Lord Evan,” Calvin huffed. “I haven’t been a young child’s father for several decades now, and my son doesn’t seem to be impressed with the way I did things, so forgive me if I’m rather uncomfortable.”

  “I’ve never been one, but I still know I’d want to be part of every step of his life,” I argued. “You have to want to do it. If you don’t want to, you’ll never be a good dad.”

  My response seemed to strike a chord with the bald man, and he stared at me as though I’d just told him the moons were made of cheese. At first, I couldn’t decide if he was impressed or appalled at my choice of words, but then his expression turned into one of consideration.

  “Well, I suppose I’ll have to try harder,” he said after a moment of thought.

  “Indeed,” I muttered. “Anyway, we just came to tell everyone that we were following the lead on Isabella. We should return soon.”

  “What should I tell your lovers?” he asked.

  “Exactly what I just said.” I eyed him curiously. “Why would you tell them something different?”

  “Won’t they want to know exactly where you’re going?” Calvin asked. “Or how long you’ll be there? Or perhaps one of them will ask to go with you.”

  “No,” I chuckled. “They know I’ll be fine while I’m there, and I’ll return to them as quickly as I can. Like I said, they know I love them, and they love me back. It’s loyalty, Your Grace.”

  “Loyalty,” he murmured and lifted his coffee cup to his lips. “Interesting.”

  “Like what you had with Grandmother,” Nike finally piped up. “That was loyalty and love, right?”

  “That was a long time ago,” Calvin muttered. “And only one of us truly believed in love, then. If she’d believed in it, she wouldn’t have left.”

  Suddenly, the lord’s callous behavior toward women all made sense. His wife, his true love, had broken his heart. I couldn’t imagine how I’d react if Alyona or any of my women decided to leave me, but it seemed the loss of his wife had driven Nike’s grandfather into becoming a tough-shelled womanizer who did his best to avoid becoming emotionally-attached to anyone else. That explained his careless attitude about lovers coming and going from his harem, and part of me softened a little bit toward the old man. He’d just never recovered from the loss of his love.

  Nike stood with his mouth open at his grandfather’s words, and I took the opportunity to make our exit.

  “Okay, we need to figure out where we want to--” I started to plan where to put our portal when a loud voice cut me off.

  “My lords!” We turned to see one of the guards who stood watch at the gates. “Please wait!”

  “Wait for what?” I demanded. “It can’t be any more important than this.”

  “There’s someone at the gate,” he answered.

  “Well, let His Grace deal with that,” I huffed as I started to push past him.

  “No, wait, she said she wants to see the lord she heard about,” the guard said with a puzzled expression.

  “Well, I don’t simply rush to the gates to talk to people,” Calvin scoffed. “She can come into town alone, and I’ll talk to her later.”

  “Not you, Your Grace,” the guard explained and then hesitated before he pointed at me. “She wants to talk to the dragon lord.”

  Chapter 10

  Nike and I stared at each other for a few seconds before I glanced at Calvin’s offended expression.

  “Sooo, I guess we’re going to the gates first,” I finally said. “We’ll let you know what we find out.”

  “I should accompany you,” Calvin grumbled and motioned for the women to get out of his way as he started to rise from the sofa. “It seems odd for someone to come to my city and ask for a visiting lord.”

  “Just wait here,” I insisted. “If necessary, we’ll bring her back here. I deal with many people from around Rahma. This could be completely unrelated to you.”

  “Fine,” he huffed as he plopped back onto the cushions. “You’ll keep me apprised of the situation.”

  “Yes, Grandfather,” Nike agreed.

  We strode out the door of the palace and headed for the front gate. The guards had allowed the woman to pass through the initial layer of protection, but they’d kept her between the stone wall and the metal gate. As soon as Nike and I walked over the drawbridge, I got a glimpse of the woman, and my mouth nearly dropped open.

  She was absolutely stunning.

  Her long, silvery hair fell in waves past her shoulders, and her skin glistened in the sun as though it were covered with slivers of sapphires. As we got closer, I could see her skin was actually blue, and it was decorated with tattoos in gold, silver, and white that criss-crossed over her arms and chest. The dress she wore reminded me of a toga with a white bodice that dipped into a V at her large breasts and black straps that wrapped around her slender figure. The dress ended at her mid-thigh and revealed the sinewy muscles of her azure legs down to her gladiator-style sandals.

  I cleared my throat as we stood on the inside of the metal gate and stared in awe at this beautiful stranger.

  “I am Lord Evan of Hatra,” I announced with a slight bow. “I was told you were looking for me.”

  “Well, I heard you were looking for m
e,” the mysterious woman replied in a raspy voice that somehow reminded me of old jazz music. “So, I figured I’d save you and me both the trouble. And here I am.”

  “I think I’d know if I was looking for someone like you,” I chuckled.

  “They say you have the name ‘Isabella’ on a list,” she hinted and trained her ocean-blue eyes on me. “Is this true?”

  “You’re Isabella?” I stared at her with my mouth wide open.

  “One of my grandfather’s--” Nike started to ask.

  “Now, now,” Isabella cut him off with a cool smile. “We can discuss more personal matters when we are, ah, less public, if you don’t mind?”

  She glanced up at the guards overhead and behind her who were watching her with open fascination before she gestured for us to allow her inside the gate.

  “Oh, yeah, of course,” I mumbled before I looked at the guard who led us here. “Let her in.”

  “At once.” He dipped his head and motioned for the rest of the soldiers to allow the woman access to Leyte.

  The gate slid to one side, and she slipped through the gap with a smile. I offered my elbow to her, and she wrapped her arm through mine before Nike and I led her over the drawbridge and back toward the palace. Several pairs of eyes watched us walk through the city, though Isabella didn’t seem bothered at all by the attention. She slowed her pace as we walked through the downtown area, and I got the feeling she didn’t want to make her way to the castle just yet.

  “Shall we stop at the pub?” I offered. “I think Rosie would be happy to see you.”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful,” Isabella replied with a wide smile that revealed perfect pearly-white teeth.

  Nike opened the door to the pub, and we walked inside as Rosie came out of the back door with a stack of mugs in her hands.

  “Oh, my gods!” she squealed as she tossed the mugs onto the counter and rushed over to Isabella. “You’re back!”

  “I’m back,” the blue-skinned beauty murmured with a smile and bent down to hug the dwarf. “It’s so good to see you.”

  I was caught off guard when Isabella knelt in front of us, and I noticed something I’d missed in our casual walk.

  “You have wings?” I asked abruptly.

  “Well, obviously,” Isabella giggled. “I’m a Nepin, after all.”

  “You went looking for a Nepin without realizing that’s what she was?” Rosie stifled a laugh. “That was silly.”

  “Okay, no one mentioned anything about a Nepin or whatever,” I huffed. “I don’t even know what that is.”

  “We’re sort of like fairies,” Isabella explained with a mischievous grin. “I’m sure you know what fairies are?”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “So, what’s the difference between you and them?”

  “They can access magic,” she answered. “We can’t, though we can fly, which is fairly convenient.”

  “That explains how you got here so fast,” I mused. “So, how does someone like you get caught up in Lord Calvin’s harem?”

  “I wanted to escape my village for a while,” Isabella sighed as she walked over to a table and sat down. “I was supposed to marry a Nepin from another village, and I had no interest in marrying a man I didn’t love, so I left to find something else for myself.”

  “Understandable,” Rosie agreed and nodded her small head. “When you showed up here, we could all tell you had a heavy heart.”

  “Yeah,” the Nepin confirmed as she offered me a smile. “But Lord Calvin didn’t lift that weight. He was kind to me, though obviously careless with his lovers, and he offered me a place in his harem.”

  “And you accepted?” I was still blown away that someone so beautiful would be attracted to the bald, old man.

  “I did,” she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Though I wasn’t exactly… active in the harem.”

  “What do you mean?” I wondered.

  “I was there for the parties, the fancy dresses, the big meals, but I was very skilled at slipping out of the lord’s chambers when it came time to, ah, become one of his lovers,” Isabella replied as she tapped her slender fingers on the table.

  “Told you she had fast feet,” Rosie chuckled.

  “He was drunk most of the time, or occupied with his other women. To be honest, the whole house is like a river, with different fish swimming through it all the time. He doesn’t even pay attention to anything that isn’t spread open before him.”

  “Ugh…” Nike sighed as he Captain Picard face-palmed.

  “So, you never actually…” I trailed off as I tried to think of a nice way to ask the question.

  “I never had sex with Lord Calvin,” Isabella finished and kept her eyes on me. “Is that your question, Lord Evan?”

  “Yes,” I answered with obvious relief. “We’re looking for… well, never mind. It doesn’t really matter.”

  Isabella opened her mouth, but the door to the pub creaked open, and my lovers tumbled inside.

  “Lord Evan!” Laika’s eyes traveled over to Isabella and widened in surprise. “A Nepin?”

  “Indeed,” Isabella confirmed with another stunning smile before she turned back toward me. “A wolf Demi-Human warrior in your harem? Quite impressive, my lord.”

  “We heard someone was looking for you at the gate,” Polina said as she looked me up and down.

  “And then you didn’t come back to the castle,” Marina continued.

  “So, we were starting to get a little worried,” Trina finished with a curious eye on Isabella. “But you look to be alright.”

  “I’m fine,” I chuckled. “Thank you for your concern. I’d like you all to meet Isabella. She is definitely not carrying any descendants.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you,” Alyona said as she grasped Isabella’s hand with a smile.

  “And you as well,” Isabella replied before her gaze dropped to Alyona’s stomach. “Both of you.”

  “How did you know?” my wife gasped and covered her slim belly.

  “I’m not sure,” Isabella admitted as she blinked a few times. “I just… knew. When I touched your hand.”

  “Interesting,” Alyona murmured.

  “But I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about,” the Nepin promised as she took Alyona’s hand again. “I have heard of the great work you and the dragon lord have done in Rahma. I would never put you or your child in danger.”

  “I believe you,” my wife replied and pursed her lips. “You should join us for lunch at the palace.”

  “I-I don’t know,” Isabella stammered as she looked around at my lovers. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on you or Lord Calvin…”

  “He’s a grown man,” Aaliyah purred with a feline smirk. “He’ll be fine. Besides, he has other things to worry about right now.”

  “Yeah, like if he’s going to have a say in the name Vala chooses for their son,” Rebecca giggled.

  “If he keeps denying the ones she likes, she might just tell him to buzz off,” Ravi agreed with a laugh.

  “And that would be much nicer than what I’d say,” Naomi added.

  “Lord Calvin is having a child?” Isabella’s blue eyes widened. “Did you think I was having the baby?”

  “We had to check,” I answered carefully. “There are… certain reasons for it.”

  “Which we can discuss later,” Alyona cut in. “Please, come eat. You came all this way.”

  “Okay,” Isabella agreed as she stared at the princess. “I’ll come with you.”

  “And you can sit with us,” Laika declared.

  “Yeah, you don’t have to sit by Lord Calvin,” Naomi agreed.

  “Good.” The Nepin seemed to relax at the idea.

  Before I knew it, my women had her by the hand and tugged her toward the door.

  “It was good to see you!” Rosie called out.

  “I’ll come back later!” Isabella waved to her friend as we all squeezed out of the pub and headed toward the palace.

  My lov
ers quickly enveloped Isabella into the fold, and they giggled and chattered about all kinds of topics from Leyte and Hatra to palaces and their favorite types of cake. By the time we reached the golden front door, Isabella was clearly more at ease, and she strolled inside with my women as though she owned the place.

  “Isabella!” Calvin grinned and spread his arms wide. “How I’ve missed you.”

  “You didn’t even realize I’d left,” Isabella scoffed as she ignored his offered hug. “I’m going with Lord Evan’s ladies to lunch.”

  The Nepin breezed by Calvin with a renewed sense of pride, and I chuckled at his crestfallen expression when she continued toward the dining hall without a second look.

  “Maybe not caring about the women in your harem isn’t the way to go,” I offered as Calvin turned back to face Nike and me. “How’s everything with Vala?”

  “Fine,” he muttered. “Though she had a ridiculous list of names for my son, and I think she said something about a mutiny if I don’t pick one from the list.”

  “You always take a pregnant woman seriously,” I warned with a wink.

  “I haven’t forgotten that part about being a father,” Calvin huffed before he turned to face the dining hall, but then he spun back around to face me. “Do you think I can go eat lunch with everyone?”

  “It’s your castle,” Nike reminded him with a nudge. “You can eat wherever you want, but you must respect Isabella’s wishes. If she doesn’t want to speak to you, then you leave her alone.”

  “Ah, I will not bother her,” Calvin agreed. “I have a few decisions to make already. I’m not going to complicate things with additional females.”

  I eyed him with curiosity, but Nike’s grandfather refused to say anything more about his decisions. I hoped it meant he was going to do right by Vala, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

  We walked into the dining room, and the conversation ceased momentarily, but my women picked back up where they’d left off. Margaret sat in her usual seat with a tiny finger sandwich in one hand and her typical mug of wine in the other, but she stared off into the distance as my lovers chatted.

  “My lord, did you ask Isabella where she’s from?” Ravi asked with an excited quiver in her voice.